The Fires of Lorien
by Katani-sama
Summary: Raina's family was killed in a raid in the forest of Lorien. She is then raised by Haldir, the general. This is her story of the events before, during, and after she meets the Fellowship of the Ring and falls in love with the Prince of Mirkwood.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Raina awoke to shouts and screams. She bolted out of bed, grabbing her bow which sat leaned against her pack every night. She effortlessly slid down the tree and looked around wildly for the source of the noise. In the distance, she spotted several torches which were moving slowly away from her. She sprinted off, following their lights. As she moved closer, taking care to be as silent as she could, she heard her mother's voice. She was comforting someone next to her as their company was forced to march through the forest. One of their captors turned and snarled at them to be quiet. Raina saw its face and a near-silent gasp escaped her lips.

_"Yrch!" _The word was hissed too low for them to hear. The company of orcs numbered about thirty, too many for her to fight alone. She turned and sprinted toward the city. When she was out of hearing range of the orcs, she quickened her pace , her steps making a considerable amount of noise. Suddenly she found herself surrounded, with bows pointed at her from every direction. She froze, raising her hands in surrender. A tall elf stepped forward, a look of surprise crossing his face as he recognized her. He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her, his soldiers lowering their weapons.

"Raina! What are you doing out here? You should be at home!" She started as she realized who the voice belonged to.

"Father! There are orcs! They attacked our Talan and they've taken everyone!" She began to cry.

Her father's face whitened in shock, and a second later he had sprung away, his men following him. As they left, he turned to her. "Go back to the city, Raina. Tell the Lady what has happened!" With that, they were gone. Raina turned towards the city and was about to resume her sprint when she heard the sounds of the battle. She turned towards them instead and ran back, determined to assist her father and his men.

She arrived to see utter chaos. The orcs, caught by surprise, had slain many of their captives and were engaged in combat with the small band of elves. She situated herself in the shade of a large tree and raised her bow. She loosed an arrow and it plunged into the back of the head of an orc who had been pursuing a small child. The child kept running and disappeared into the forest. Raina continued firing, hitting many orcs and killing a few. She heard a cry and turned to see her father running towards her mother who was laying on the ground, bleeding. She cried out and moved to aid them but was stopped by an orc who had spotted her. Dispatching him quickly, she took another step just as an orc reached her father and brought its sword down on his crouching form. A scream ripped from her throat as she rushed over and killed the orc, kneeling next to her father. He was still alive, but barely. He looked up and his eyes widened.

"R-Raina? Why are you here?" He grasped her arm.

"I came to help you, Father!" She began to cry, her tears falling onto his armor."

"Silly girl…run. Run back…..tell the Lady…."

His hand fell to the ground and he spoke no more. Her head fell to his chest as she cried, begging him to wake up. A hand touched her shoulder and she whirled around, only to be drawn into an embrace. She fell into it, sobbing. A hand stroked her hair softly and she heard a man's voice.

"Come, Raina…..back to the city…..I'm sorry."


	2. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone~ I'm quite surprised and very pleased with the amount of interest I've gotten for this story. I'd like to ask you all to review, so that I can grow as a writer. It's been a while, so it would be nice to get some constructive criticism. Also, I don't own LoTR or any of the characters mentioned in this story except Raina, who comes from my brain. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 1

_50 years later . . . _

Raina walked the paths of Caras Galadhon, greeting those she passed on her way to the gardens. Reaching the archway, she stopped and turned, a smile growing on her face as she spotted a figure in the distance. She slipped quietly into the garden and daintily found a hiding place behind a large bush, settling in for the inevitably long wait ahead of her. She heard footsteps and peered out through the bush, watching carefully. A pair of boots crossed her line of vision and her smile grew wider. She heard a sigh.

"Raina, we do have a job to do…you know that right?" She looked to make sure she wouldn't be seen if she moved, and upon seeing she wouldn't, answered "Yes" and slipped behind another bush. Her pursuer whirled around, causing the nearby plants to rustle. "Raina, come out. We have to go patrol." With a sigh, she stood up from her hiding place. "Father, must you ruin all my fun?"

Haldir sighed yet again. "Aren't you getting too old to be playing these games?"

With a musical laugh, Raina replied "Perhaps, but I only have forever to live, must you rush my growing up?" This was met with a smile in return and the pair exited the garden to leave on a patrol of the borders.

Since the death of her parents, Raina had lived with Haldir and the two of them had become close, as if he was her real father. He had told her from the very beginning that she could call him whatever she liked, and one day she had been looking for him and the word "father" had just slipped out. Hearing it, Haldir had frozen and turned to look at her, a mix of surprise and happiness on his face. Raina had smiled awkwardly and he had laughed at her, walking over and pulling her into a hug. "I think of you like my daughter, Raina, you have nothing to be embarrassed about." From that day forward, she had always called him father and loved him as much as a real father.

"Raina! Keep your thoughts here!" Haldir's voice roused her from her thoughts and she inclined her head in apology. As they neared the border, she focused on listening and watching for danger. The forest was silent, uncomfortably silent. Usually the sounds of birds or other wild animals could be heard, but Raina heard absolutely nothing. She looked over at Haldir and saw that he seemed concerned.

"Father, why is it so quiet?" Her voice had startled him – she could tell as he stiffened and turned quickly to look at her. No smile came to her face this time, for she saw worry in his eyes.

"I don't know, Raina," he replied, "This silence worries me. Something is walking through the forest, whether friend or foe I do not know, but it has startled away all of the animals nearby." Just then, a scout jogged around a tree in the distance and seeing the pair, hurried towards them. Bowing, he turned to Haldir.

"Sir, there is a party moving slowly through the forest. There are two Men, an Elf, four halflings, and…" he paused here. Raina looked at him curiously as he avoided Haldir's gaze and finished his sentence "and a Dwarf."

Haldir's expression darkened. "Assemble my men, Penlod. We shall meet these strangers as soon as we can." Penlod nodded and was gone. Haldir turned to Raina. "You must go and inform the Lady that we have guests." Raina's eyes flashed. "I wish to see them for myself, father. The Lady will already know of their arrival." Immediately after speaking, she heard Galadriel's voice in her head.

_"I am aware, my child. Stay and see our guests."_

She turned to Haldir and saw doubt in his eyes, but he inclined his head towards her, giving her permission to stay. A small band of archers had assembled behind them and Haldir raised his arm, giving the command to follow him. The elves crept forward. Raina could now hear many heavy footsteps moving closer to them. As they moved through the forest, she could hear the murmur of voices. Haldir's company formed a ring around the intruders and began to move closer. Raina could clearly see the company, and she looked in wonder on them all. As Haldir gave the command to move closer, she heard the Dwarf loudly speaking to his companions. "I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox!" Raina stifled a laugh at the irony of the situation as she saw the Dwarf turn and nearly walk straight into an arrow. Haldir stepped forward.

"The Dwarf breathes so loud, we could have shot him in the dark." Raina did laugh at this, but quietly still. She looked around to make sure no one had heard her, but when her eyes moved back to the strangers, her gaze met that of the Elf. Time seemed to stop as she looked at him. He seemed so familiar, yet so different at the same time. She was yanked back to the present as he smirked and looked away. A flash of anger flowed through her, until she realized that Haldir was leading the group away. She followed the group back to the city, thinking only of the strange Elf and wondering why he seemed so familiar. She was sure she had never seen him before, yet a little voice in her head was berating her for having forgotten him. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she continued down the path, speeding up to catch her father.

"What do you think of them, daughter?" he asked, noticing her presence.

"They do not seem bad, father. Their eyes are sad." She looked over at him to see his expression had softened and he nodded in agreement. "They have lost someone close to them. They must speak with the Lord and Lady." As they entered the city, Haldir halted and turned to her. "Raina, go and find Miluiel and assist her in preparing a place for our guests." Raina opened her mouth to protest but seeing the look on Haldir's face she was suddenly aware that she had no place in the meeting that was about to take place. She nodded and strode off, casting one last glance back at the lovely Elf who, to her surprise, was watching her leave.


	3. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone! Thank you for the nice reviews, it might seem cliché but they really do inspire me to write more. I like it when the things that I write get good comments, because then I feel like I should keep writing and keep making you guys happy with my work. :) I will say again to all of those silent readers out there, please leave me a review, I want to see what you like and don't like about my work. It's been a while since I've written like this and I want to keep improving from here on out!**

**Thank you to everyone for reading this! I love you all, even though I don't know you! 3**

Chapter 2

When Raina found Miluiel, she found she had plenty of work to keep her busy. An area was being prepared for the travelers to stay, and she was tasked with running the extra errands around the city and carrying provisions and supplies to those who needed them. After everything was complete, Raina sat down and waited for her father to return with their guests. A couple minutes later, Haldir appeared from behind a nearby tree, but he was alone. He spotted her and walked over.

"Our guests will stay outside the city, and I will trust you to guide them to Cerin Amroth and make sure that they have everything they need. I have some other errands to run." He waited until she nodded and walked away, soon disappearing from sight. Raina turned and headed to meet the strangers. She turned a corner and spotted them standing in a group looking around at the mallorns. Seeing her approach, the dark haired man walked over to her and bowed.

"It has been some time, Raina." Her eyes widened as she recognized him. "E-Estel? How came you here, and with such a group?" He smiled at her. "There will be plenty of time for stories later, but we are weary from our journey and my Halfling friends are quite hungry." She looked down at the hobbits as he said this and they looked up at her, the promise of food had caught their attention and their eyes shone with hope. Raina smiled. "Of course, I am forgetting myself. Please, follow me. I will show you the way, though Estel surely remembers it." Estel looked at her, confused, and after a few seconds it dawned on him and he bowed his head. "Of course… Cerin Amroth." Hearing this, the other Elf looked up in what appeared to be surprise. Raina avoided his gaze and, extending her arm, began to walk. "Please, follow me." The group followed her, and after a while Estel sped up his pace to walk beside her.

"Have you heard from Arwen recently?" She smiled at the tone of his voice, as he suddenly seemed like a child separated from their favorite pet or close parent for too long. "Yes, we still communicate regularly. She is well. She did hint in her last letter that I might be seeing you soon, and now I understand why. She also mentioned Mithrandir, however, and I do not see him." At that last sentence a shadow of deep sadness crossed his face and he turned away. "Est"- she was cut off by a collective gasp among the hobbits as they turned a corner and Cerin Amroth came into view. She led them up and helped them organize their belongings before turning. "Is there anything else you need?" Estel looked up at her. "If you have nothing else you need to do, I should like you to remain here, for we have much to tell, and I am sure that you do as well." The hobbits smiled eagerly and she remembered Bilbo, always eager to tell his tales. She could tell that these four were the same. "In that case, I shall stay, for there is nothing else I need to do today." She sat on the floor and watched as they all began to eat. Estel, after collecting everything he planned to eat, turned to her. "I would like to introduce you to the rest of my company, Raina." He gestured towards the other man, who was eating near him. "This is Boromir, of Gondor." Boromir looked up and nodded respectfully at her. She inclined her head in return, noticing that he seemed troubled, but said nothing. Estel went on, pointing at the Dwarf next, who was seated comfortably as far away from the edges as he could possibly be. "This is Gimli, son of Gloin." The Dwarf bowed to her. "It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady." Raina smiled at him "And you, Master Dwarf. I met your father long ago. Is he well?" Gimli nodded and smiled, happy at her response. Estel spoke again. "These four are named Meriadoc Brandybuck, Peregrin Took, Samwise Gamgee, and Frodo Baggins," he said, indicating each as he spoke their name." The four stood together and bowed to her. "There is no need to bow to me, my young hobbits," she said to them. Then, turning to Frodo, "Master Baggins, is Bilbo well? It has been a long time since I met him in Rivendell." Frodo looked at her, surprised. "He is well, my lady, and is currently staying in Rivendell. I do not know how long he means to stay, but it was there that I last saw him." Raina nodded and smiled, and Estel finally turned to the other Elf. "I suppose Legolas does not need introduction, although it has been quite some time since he was last in Lorien," he said. She looked at Legolas to find he was again staring at her, but this time when their eyes met she could tell that he was as puzzled as she was. Estel let out a loud laugh. "You two have forgotten each other!" Raina blushed and looked down quickly, which only served to increase the laughter. "Do you two really not remember each other?" Looking up, she saw Legolas shaking his head, and she grew increasingly confused. "How do we know each other, Estel?" she asked. Chuckling, he replied "Raina, Legolas is King Thranduil's son." Surprised, she looked up at Legolas and upon closer inspection of his face, she saw the resemblance. "I'm sorry for not recognizing you, my lord," she said, bowing her head respectfully to him. When she raised her head she thought he looked slightly embarrassed. Just then, she heard Haldir's voice from below.

"Raina? Are you up there?" She hurriedly excused herself from the group, promising to come back later. Descending, she found Haldir with his brothers, Rumil and Orophin. "Raina, the Lady has asked to see you. We are heading out to scout around to the north, so we told her we would carry the message. Hurry back to her, child. You can socialize later." Raina pouted at him and he laughed. "Whatever the Lady needs you for is more important for now. I will see you later, dear one." The trio turned and hurried away into the forest. Raina walked back to the city and headed towards Galadriel's garden. Entering, she descended the stairs and walked over to the small clearing where she always met with Galadriel when she had been summoned. As expected, she was standing near her mirror.

"Good, he found you. Raina, there is something you must see. Look into the mirror, child, and tell me what you make of this." Raina hesitantly picked up the elegant silver pitcher and poured some water from it into the shallow bowl. She slowly moved closer and looked in, seeing her reflection for a second before the image changed.

_Flashes of light separated many scenes that passed in quick succession. She first saw Estel, then Arwen, then suddenly with a flash of flames a burning mallorn appeared, its glow illuminating the forest around it as shadowy figures fled. Next she saw Legolas, his face horror-stricken, then Estel again, appearing to be shouting desperately at someone. A swirl of ash clouded the mirror momentarily, and then Estel's face was replaced with Haldir's. His eyes, filled with pain, looked straight at her and just as she tried to cry out, the life faded from them. With a flash of white, he disappeared and she saw no more._

Raina felt her legs give way and she fell to the ground, tears streaming down her face. Galadriel knelt beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder, and slowly drew Raina into an embrace, where they stayed for what seemed like hours as Raina cried. Eventually the tears subsided and she looked up, but Galadriel spoke first. "I know what you have seen, my child. I have seen many of them myself, and they trouble me. The path ahead of our new friends is full of danger, and I fear they may not all return alive." Raina pulled a soft cloth from her pocket and wiped her eyes. "What about my father?" Galadriel sighed heavily. "I do not know where his path will lead him, but this much is clear – he will fall in battle. He came to me not two weeks ago and told me that he had been dreaming lately of some great battle that he knew he must leave for, and that in this dream he knew that he would not be returning." Raina's face paled and Galadriel pulled her closer. "Fifty years is not long enough for you to have to lose your father again, Raina. I would not wish this on you, but it must pass soon enough, and I do not know what to do about it. I do not want you to be hurt again, but I can see no way for this to be avoided." For the first time in her life, Raina looked into Galadriel's eyes and saw true feelings there – sadness, anger, even fear. This frightened her, as she had always known Galadriel to be the fearless leader, who always knew what to do, who always had a plan for everything.

The two remained in the garden in silence until the sky began to darken and the sound of footsteps, seeming incredibly loud in the silence of the garden, broke their reverie. Raina looked up to see Legolas walking towards them. Upon spotting her, he sighed in relief. He bowed to both of them and he spoke to Raina, surprising her. "Your father asked me if I had seen you, he thought you would have returned to us already." He hesitated, noticing the pain she knew was easily visible in her face. She stood up. "Thank you for your concern. I will go and find him." She brushed past him and left the garden to find her father, struggling to calm herself.

_Legolas looked at Galadriel curiously – she seemed sadder than she had when they had met with her. "My Lady?" he asked hesitantly. She looked at him. "This is for Raina to tell you when she decides to. I would ask that you stay with her while she is here, I worry about her. She has had to deal with far more than she should have. I do not want her to hurt anymore." Legolas stood there in the garden long after Galadriel had left, puzzling over her words. "Why don't I remember her?" he asked himself over and over, and yet his mind never had a good enough answer for him. Shaking his head, he turned and left the garden to rejoin the fellowship outside._


	4. Chapter 3

**Hello again! Sorry it's been so long. I wrote this pretty quickly, but I hope you still like it! Please review :3**

Chapter 3 

Much of the winter passed peacefully in Lothlorien. Raina befriended the two hobbits, Merry and Pippin, and they spent much time together, laughing and sharing the stories of their people. Their curiosity intrigued her and the trio managed to entertain each other sufficiently; it seemed they would need no one other than each other for as long as the fellowship remained in the forest.

Occasionally, Raina would catch a glimpse of the young elf prince through the trees, though she could never tell if he was watching her or simply taking a stroll. Suspicious, she made no further effort to go out of her way to speak with him. They shared occasional pleasantries at meals, but nothing further. Aragorn, observing their encounters, watched with a look of amusement on his face. Raina mentally shook her head at him each time she noticed this.

One day in the middle of the winter, Raina was walking alone, patrolling the northern reaches of the forest. She stopped in a small field of soft grass, hidden from outside eyes by a thick grove of trees that formed a ring around the open field. She looked up at the light wintry sky and sat in the center of the field, relaxing and listening to the world around her. Closing her eyes, she focused on her other senses and tried to "see" the world around her. She listened to the weak breeze rustling the leaves of the trees around her, heard the patter of tiny feet as mice and squirrels ran past on their respective errands, smelled the chill of winter that never seemed to fully grasp the lands of the Lady. Just then, she heard the rustling of light footsteps crushing fallen leaves on the forest floor. They were too delicate to be an enemy or the Dwarf, so she was not alarmed. She quietly moved to the edge of the ring of trees and peered around the trunk of the nearest one, watching for the visitor. The footsteps paused and a quiet voice called out.

"Raina?"

It was Legolas. She stepped out from behind her tree and met his gaze, unsure of the sudden anxiety gripping her stomach.

"What do you want? I am on patrol."

He smirked at her – again with that smirk! Frustrated, she turned to leave, but was stopped by a gentle hand gripping her shoulder. She spun angrily, looking up at him again.

"I merely wished to speak with you, my lady. We have not had a good conversation since we reached the forest."

A flash of guilt pierced her conscience at this – she had been avoiding him, if she was honest with herself.

"Perhaps I did not wish it, my lord" she answered stiffly, inclining her head as little as she could get away with. His eyes widened at this, and she smirked at him, delighting in her small victory. "Well, if you'll excuse me" she pulled her arm from his grasp and stalked off. He moved to follow her, but then, perhaps thinking better of it, stopped and stood still, thinking.

Raina walked farther through the forest, fuming. How dare he provoke her? She angrily shoved branches aside and let her feet carry her away, not really sure of her destination. Before long, she reached a small, unfamiliar ravine. Deciding that no one would miss her, she carefully climbed down the side and went to explore. Following it farther, it seemed empty, and she started to relax. She reached an area with a few fallen boulders littering the ground and lowered herself onto one to calm herself down. She took a breath in and closed her eyes.

Just then, a hand covered her mouth and nose. She tried to jump up and confront her attacker, but the other arm wrapped around her waist and held her still. She writhed, kicking out, but her assailant was wearing some form of armor and was not affected. She was dragged away, struggling the entire time. Her attacker threw her against a wall, stunning her long enough to drag her through a small hole into a cave. He dropped her to the floor and hurried to restrain her. When she regained her strength, it was too late. She rolled over and looked up into the haggard face of a man. He looked down at her, a look of disgust on his face.

"Well well, I've caught me a pretty she-elf today" he muttered to himself. "What shall we do with her?"

Raina looked up at him, collecting as much anger and defiance as she could manage and forcing them to radiate through her gaze. He looked shaken for a moment, but it was replaced quickly with a mocking expression.

"Oh, she's feisty! We'll see how long that lasts." He let out a guttural roar and four orcs came rushing in. Upon seeing her tied up on the ground, the largest of them laughed.

"Well, Urdu, you've caught a nice one today!" he roared, his voice gleeful. "How will we kill her?"

The man, Urdu, looked down at her and nudged her with the toe of his boot. "I haven't decided yet. There's so many options!" He stopped, then, studying her face. "Wait… I know your face." He reached down and grabbed her chin, tilting her face at different angles. Satisfied, he released her and turned to the orcs. "I have something I need to go find. Guard her, but do not touch her. Believe me, I'll know if you do." With that, he turned and left the cave, his footsteps fading into the distance.

The orcs looked down at Raina. The largest one turned to the other two. "You heard him, we can't touch her." He suddenly lashed out and kicked her in the face. Her head flew to the side and she lay there, gasping for breath as the shock had taken it away. The orcs laughed. "He can't tell us what to do! We'll do whatever we like!" Those were the last words any of them ever spoke. With a flash, a sword slashed through all three of them and they fell to the ground, never to move again. Raina looked up hopefully, but it was only Urdu.

"I apologize," he said, the mocking tone from earlier barely discernible, "I did tell them not to touch you." Raina glared at him and he smirked. "However, I do have a present for you, my dear. It has been waiting some time for you. You were meant to come here today." He dropped the bundle next to her head and uncovered it. It was a skull, gleaming in the little light that was let into the cave. Raina recoiled in disgust.

"What is the meaning of this?" she asked, venom dripping from every syllable.

Urdu grinned at her. "This, child, is your father."


	5. Chapter 4

**Hello again~ I'm glad there was such a positive response to that last chapter! Thank you for the advice and the nice words! I hope this one does it justice. I'm trying a little Legolas POV this time as well! Review please :)**

_He dropped the bundle next to her head and uncovered it. It was a skull, gleaming in the little light that was let into the cave. Raina recoiled in disgust._

_"What is the meaning of this?" she asked, venom dripping from every syllable._

_Urdu grinned at her. "This, child, is your father."_

Chapter 4

Raina screamed and immediately writhed around, attempting to propel herself as far away as she could. She was blind in her panic as tears filled her eyes. Urdu bent down and retrieved the skull, a satisfied gleam in his eyes. He left the room to deposit it elsewhere, and when he came back, Raina was curled in a corner, attempting to hide herself from the world. He laughed softly as a seemingly endless stream of tears coursed down her cheeks.

"Being in constant company with these orcs, one learns things. They do love to tell stories of those they kill. I knew your father, child, and that is why I knew who you were. You two are so much alike." He paused, making sure that she was listening. "Your father was part of the army that took my home from me. I had my revenge. Of course they wouldn't suspect me, as long as I kept to myself. I found him easily. I ordered the orcs to find him, to kill all in their path. How could I leave him with any less than what he'd given me? And yet… you lived. You are just like me, child. You had _nothing._ I wanted you to live without hope. I wanted you to be lost, just as I was. However, you are not. It is time to change that." He walked over to Raina and grabbed her shoulder roughly, pulling her towards him. She kicked out violently, striking him in the thigh. He drew back, cursing. "You'll pay for that!" he roared as he lashed out, slapping her across the cheek.

"You are the one who will pay!" Raina spat in return, bracing herself to retaliate against any further attacks. Urdu's expression darkened and he kicked her sharply in the side. Stunned by the pain, Raina lost her focus and he quickly overpowered her, forcing her to lie flat on the ground. He started to lower himself over her and she began to struggle again, trying to escape. However, Urdu was faster. He grabbed a rock from the ground and smashed it into the side of her head. While she was dazed from the blow, he quickly straddled her, holding her arms.

"You are not strong enough to save yourself, child. I will have you. Then you will die." Hunched over, his breath ghosted over her ear. She shuddered and as his grip tightened, quickly threw her head forward, bashing into his. He fell back, stunned, and she struggled into a crawling position, attempting to move towards a sharp rock she had spotted on the cave floor. Upon reaching it, she had begun cutting her bonds when Urdu grabbed her hair, pulling her aside. She screamed again before his hand covered her mouth. He held her close, his nose buried in her hair. "Don't try anything else, fool, or else I will make this even worse for you." He released her mouth, his hand loosely stroking her side. She twisted away, revolted, but his hand in her hair yanked her back to him.

Just has Urdu began to loosen the ties of Raina's clothing, an arrow flew from the mouth of the cave and lodged itself in his head. He crumpled, his grip on her hair gone instantly. Raina collapsed, shaking. She was unaware of her rescuer's identity until he picked her up carefully and spoke.

"Raina, are you hurt? Can you hear me?"

Of course… it was Legolas. Raina forced herself to open her eyes and upon looking at him, she wished she had not. His expression held too many emotions for her to be comfortable with. She nodded weakly and he sighed, relieved. "Father…" she managed, before she fainted.

-**Legolas POV-**

_"Perhaps I did not wish it, my lord" she answered stiffly, inclining her head as little as she could get away with. His eyes widened at this, and she smirked at him. "Well, if you'll excuse me" she pulled her arm from his grasp and stalked off._

Legolas moved to follow Raina, but stopped, realizing that if he ran after her, he would only make the situation worse. As much has he wanted to speak with her, if she would rather not be in his company, he would not push her. He turned and began to walk back to the city. However, before he had gone far, an uneasy feeling crept over him. He realized that Raina had not walked off in the direction she should have – instead of continuing on the route of her patrol, she had likely gone too far north. He moved swiftly through the forest, hoping to catch up to her.

After a while, he began to wonder if she had turned somewhere in her haste to escape from him. However, it was just as this thought crossed his mind when a scream pierced the air, filled with pain. "Raina!" he gasped, setting off again, this time sprinting towards the sound.

The forest was silent for quite some time, and Legolas began to worry. What had found Raina to cause her to scream like that, and why was she so silent now? Mulling over these questions in his mind, he was so distracted that he nearly fell straight into the ravine. However, his reflexes caught him and he stopped just at the edge. He looked down into it and caught the faint murmur of a male voice, coupled with sounds of struggling. He lightly climbed down into the ravine and crept forward, just as another scream, this time much louder, pierced the air. He hurried deeper into the ravine, searching for Raina. The voices grew louder and as he rounded a corner, he stopped and moved slower, peeking around.

Upon telling the story of this day later on in his life, Legolas would never touch on exactly what he saw to make him lift his bow automatically, loosing an arrow so swiftly that it would have been a blur to anyone watching. He watched the arrow bury itself in the man's head, and as he fell, moved to Raina in a flash and picked her up gingerly, wanting to make sure he wasn't causing her any discomfort.

"Raina, are you hurt? Can you hear me?" His voice wavered as he held her. Her eyes slowly opened, and in them he saw such pain as he could not imagine ever feeling. His heart broke for her that day. She nodded and he was relieved, even though he knew that she was probably lying, not just to him, but to herself as well.

"Father…"

For some reason, Legolas had a feeling that she was not referring to Haldir.


End file.
